Chapter 25

In the midst of the January cold wind sweeping across the land, snowflakes were swirling up to the sky and then slowly falling onto the snow-covered ground. In these days just before the New Year, with the icy and snowy weather, a group of old and young, men and women, were struggling to move forward on the frozen Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in the cold wind and snow.

The men walked on the outside, surrounding the elderly, children, and women in the middle, slowly advancing against the wind and snow. From time to time, the cries of children, the scolding of men, and the soothing words of women created a chaotic noise, filling the entire group with a sense of fear and unease.

"Mr. Liu, thank you for your righteous help this time. The people of Wangjiazhai will never forget your great kindness," said a man in a thick cotton jacket and a melon-shaped hat to a man with a goatee dressed like a secretary, who was walking at the front of the group.

"Village Chief Wang, I can't say it's a great kindness, but we still have over ten miles to go before we reach Xuzhou City. We need to hurry. If the bandits catch up, we'll all be finished," Mr. Liu said, stroking his goatee.

"You're right," Village Chief Wang replied, turning to the group and shouting, "If you don't want to die, walk faster! If we reach Xuzhou City before dark, we'll all be safe."

After hearing that they still had over ten miles to go, the group erupted in a cacophony of complaints.

"Village Chief, we've been walking all night without food or drink. We're starving. Let us rest a bit."

"Village Chief, my child seems to be sick. What should we do? Please come and take a look."

"I can't walk anymore. I'm exhausted."

"I'm starving. I'm starving."

"Mom, I'm hungry. I want to eat."

...

This group of refugees were the villagers of Wangjiazhai in Nigou Town, Zaozhuang. Last night, a cavalry unit under the command of Shandong's military governor, Zhang Zongchang, entered the village. Initially, after the villagers offered them food, cured meat, and a few jars of wine, the cavalry was about to leave. However, a sudden snowstorm forced them to stay in the village.

Zhang Zongchang's men were all former bandits. What could you expect from them in terms of discipline? After eating and drinking to their fill, they became lustful and began smashing doors with their guns, house by house.

The people of Shandong were known for their fierce nature. Seeing their women being assaulted, the men couldn't stand it. But how could civilians armed with wooden sticks and kitchen knives stand a chance against bandits with guns?

Gunfire erupted, and the bandits, attacked with wooden sticks, began to shout about massacring the village and setting fires everywhere. A merchant caravan that had been hiding in a farmer's house couldn't bear it anymore. Initially, they had planned to wait until the bandits left before continuing their journey, but when the bandits started killing and setting fires, they knew they couldn't hide forever. They decided to fight.

The caravan's guards, experienced in martial arts and skilled with guns, caught the bandits off guard. With the help of the villagers, the bandits, numbering only about forty to fifty, were almost all killed, with only two who were sober and had good eyesight managing to escape on horseback.

With no other choice, the villagers had to flee towards Xuzhou overnight. Otherwise, if the bandits returned with reinforcements at dawn, no one would survive.

Hearing the villagers' complaints, the village chief became anxious and shouted, "How far can we walk with our old and young? The bandits ride fast horses. If we don't hurry, we'll be caught and killed." Just as the village chief was about to say more, someone at the back of the group cried out in terror, "The bandits are here!"

From the direction of the canal, a group of bandits emerged from the woods, shouting as they charged towards the group.

The group immediately fell into chaos, with the old and young crying and running towards Xuzhou. No one was complaining about being hungry anymore. However, Xuzhou was still over ten miles away, and the bandits were right behind them. Where could the exhausted and hungry elderly, women, and children run to? No one thought about this; everyone was desperately rushing forward, as if the city gates of Xuzhou were just a few dozen meters ahead.

The bandits, cautious on the icy surface of the canal, moved slowly, but once they crossed the river and started riding again, it wouldn't take long for them to catch up.

Leading the group of bandits on horseback was a man with a large beard named He Sandao. He got his name because he survived three sword cuts in a fight with other bandits when he was young. No one remembered his real name anymore.

He Sandao was the commander of a cavalry regiment under Zhang Zongchang. As the vanguard, he arrived in Zaozhuang the previous day. Before dinner, he sent his men to various villages to collect grain. However, in the middle of the night, two of his men reported that dozens of his men had been killed in a small village.

Enraged, He Sandao pushed the woman in his arms aside and ran out to gather his troops, despite the cold. Because of the heavy snow, many of the grain-collecting teams hadn't returned to Zaozhuang. Impatient, He Sandao led over 200 cavalrymen towards Wangjiazhai.

When they arrived at Wangjiazhai, they found only the bodies of bandits and no villagers. Enraged, He Sandao burned the village and killed all the animals. Then he followed the footprints.

He Sandao slowly rode across the ice, a cruel smile on his face, which, combined with the two scars on his face, made him look like a demon. He raised his hand to stop his men from firing and said, "We want them alive."

The bandits all laughed. "Bury the men, and share the women. After we're done, throw them all into the river."

The bandits laughed as they watched the fleeing crowd enter the woods. After about twenty minutes, all 200 bandits had crossed the canal and charged into the woods after the crowd.

The woods were not large, and soon they emerged. The bandits at the front suddenly pulled their horses to a stop, and those behind them crashed into them, several falling off their horses. However, no one complained, as all the bandits saw dozens of iron trucks parked neatly in the open field, with soldiers in gray uniforms and steel helmets standing around them, armed. The villagers of Wangjiazhai had all hidden behind the trucks.

He Sandao's heart sank. He knew something was wrong. Although he didn't know which unit they were, the neat formation, the advanced equipment, and the iron trucks gave him a sense of extreme danger. His heart was pounding.

The scene seemed to freeze, with only the snowflakes continuing to fall. Occasionally, a child's cry could be heard from behind the trucks.

After a moment, He Sandao shouted, "Who are you? We are from Zhang Dashi's Zhenwei Army. Don't misunderstand us." In response, a low command was heard: "Pull the safety." The sound of gun bolts being pulled back echoed. He Sandao was terrified and tried to turn his horse to escape.

"Fire!" A burst of gunfire rang out, and the front row of bandits fell off their horses, screaming. The survivors turned their horses and fled in all directions. The engines of the trucks started, and several trucks loaded with soldiers chased after the bandits, the continuous gunfire bringing down many bandits, who cried out in agony.

Hit by three bullets, He Sandao could no longer get up. Lying in the snow, he watched as the truck slowly approached, the large wheels growing larger in his vision, and he let out a final, desperate scream.

None of the 200 bandits escaped. All but the twenty who surrendered were killed. The battle report was quickly sent to the headquarters of the 6th Division of the Army in Xuzhou, and the division commander, General Gao Yang, replied with the order: "Execute all bandits on the spot. Follow this order for all future encounters with bandits."

How did Gao Yang become the commander of the 6th Division of the Army? A few days earlier, Zhang Dashi had entered the capital. In the Presidential Palace, he and Duan Qirui had a heated argument for over an hour about the division of spoils after the war. Unlike the historical Zhang Dashi, who was decisive, the Anhui clique's Gao Yang and Lu Yongxiang, with their control over Anhui, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu provinces and nearly 100,000 troops, had a strong position.

After a compromise, the north was given to the Fengtian clique, while the former Zhili clique's territory in Jiangsu was to be decided by force. The 6th and 19th Divisions of the former Zhili clique were disbanded, and their designations were given to Gao Yang by Duan Qirui, who also promoted Gao Yang to Lieutenant General. Gao Yang had planned to appoint Weixi as the commander of the 19th Division, but this was opposed by everyone. Zhang Qian, whom Gao Yang had invited to serve as the acting governor of Jiangsu Province, told Gao Yang, "I should not interfere in military matters, but I absolutely cannot agree to appointing a foreigner as the commander of a division. If you do, I will resign." Reluctantly, Gao Yang took command of both divisions.

These were not just empty designations. These two divisions were registered with the Army Ministry, had clear personnel quotas, and were paid by the government. Gao Yang reorganized the 1st Division of the Anhui Army into the 6th Division, keeping the same structure but changing the designation. Weixi was appointed as the chief of staff of the 19th Division, stationed in Nanjing, and was responsible for training new recruits, including mercenaries, bio-warriors, and selected non-commissioned officers, as a reserve force.

Gao Yang deployed the 6th Division along the route from Xuzhou to Lianyungang, with the core position at Tai'erzhuang, relying on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal for defense.

Three days later, Zhang Zongchang led his main force to the vicinity of Zaozhuang. Since entering the pass, Zhang Zongchang had been recruiting soldiers and horses, accepting anyone who wanted to join. His forces had grown rapidly, and the "Three Unknowns General" title, which referred to the number of guns he had, came from this period. Zhang Zongchang was the fastest to return to Shandong among the Fengtian clique, moving swiftly.

Most of the Zhili clique's forces originally stationed in Shandong had been redeployed to the Shanhaiguan area, and those who hadn't been eliminated or scattered had been absorbed. Zhang Zongchang faced minimal resistance, which made him increasingly arrogant.

In Xuzhou, Gao Yang silently watched the snow outside, eagerly anticipating the coming battle. "Come on, I've been waiting for you for a long time!"